


Avoidance

by AislingKaye



Series: Light Of My Soul [7]
Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Beorn knows best, But that doesn't mean people listen, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-01
Updated: 2013-02-01
Packaged: 2017-11-27 19:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/665393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AislingKaye/pseuds/AislingKaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kili idolised his big brother growing up, often mimicking the blonde dwarf, but he didn't expect to find his soulmate straight after Fili did!<br/>But Kili's soulmate is as stubborn as a mule, making it difficult for Kili to get to know him. AND he's hiding something very important...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Avoidance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HaloMaiden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaloMaiden/gifts).



Avoidance

 

Kíli really did not like goblins - especially these goblins. For one, as soon as they saw Thalion amongst them, they had jeered and called to the 'runt elf' and tried to separate him from Fíli, whom the elf was keeping close to. For another, they had caused Bilbo to fall over the edge of the walkways, and Kíli hated the look on his uncle's face as Bilbo disappeared into the darkness. And thirdly, they were even uglier than the orcs the Company had encountered.

Being dragged up before the Great Goblin, Kíli could very faintly hear Dwalin muttering to Thorin, 'check yer palm, it's still blue, he isn't dead,' until Thorin glanced down at his blue soul light and recovered his composure. Kíli made a mental note to thank Dwalin later, once they were out of Moria and had Bilbo back.

"Dwarves and a runt of an elf in my kingdom," the goblin king boomed. "What business have you here?"

None of them replied, most just glaring at the hideous, oversized goblin. Kíli noticed Ori jump slightly as a sound somewhere between a wail and a roar echoed up from one of the lower levels. The goblin king looked thoughtful - it was not a pleasant expression, Kíli thought.

"Hm, perhaps this is a rescue mission. Is that why you're here? To rescue that pitiful creature?" He didn't wait for a response, turning and snapping at one of his simpering subordinates. "Fetch the prisoner!"

 

Kíli's first impression of the 'prisoner' was of pale but dirty skin, glazed but startlingly bright blue eyes, and ratty dark hair falling over thin shoulders. Not the best first impression, but one which tended to stick. Those eyes, though... beneath the glaze brought on by whatever the goblins had been feeding the youth to keep him complacent, there was a hint of defiance and pride that had not been whipped or beaten out of him yet.

“What do you think of your rescue, whelp?” the goblin king sneered as one of his minions forced the youth’s head up to look at the captured dwarves (and elf). The bright blue eyes cleared just a little, a faint frown on the chained youth’s bruised face as he looked at the company. He then turned a sneer on the goblin king.

“Since you obviously cannot see past that overly large chin of yours, these dwarves are not here for me,” he spat out, glaring at the enormous goblin. He then glanced at the company again. “Nor is the elf,” he added belatedly. The Great Goblin snarled wordlessly and sharply gestured to one of the goblins standing behind the chained youth. Kíli was hard pressed not to flinch or shout out when the goblin raised a whip and let it fall on the youth’s back with a sharp _crack_. Blue eyes shut briefly but by biting his bottom lip the barely-into-adulthood male stopped himself from crying out at the contact.

Then Gandalf made his reappearance.

 

In the confusion, Kíli found himself near the goblins’ prisoner.

“Let me out and I can help,” the youth muttered as Kíli thrust his blade through a goblin’s chest and then kicked it off and away before parrying another.

“Like I’d leave someone in the hands of goblins,” Kíli snorted, knocking away another couple of goblins and then slamming a heavy boot down hard on the rusty lock holding the chains in place. He then drew back the string of his bow and shot an arrow straight into the eye of a goblin creeping up on his uncle, smashing the weapon into another goblin’s head when it leapt for him. He then grabbed the youth’s hand and hauled him to his feet.

A shock ran up his arm, and the youth cursed.

“We need to talk later,” Kíli stated, and released the slim hand to see a green light now shining from the centre of the youth’s left palm where before there had been only white. “My name is Kíli.”

“Laddyn. Watch your back.”

Wielding two short swords expertly, Laddyn fought by Kíli’s side until they reached the rest of the company.

Then, they fled the goblins’ kingdom.

 

After finding Bilbo, fighting wargs and the Pale Orc Azog, and being rescued by giant eagles, Kíli just wanted to have a quick chat to his soulmate to find out what was going to happen for them from here.

What most didn’t realise until they had contact with their soulmates was that the incomplete bond tended to urge the two to get to know each other better. It was hard to resist, and even those who never completed their bond couldn’t help but feel fondly for their soulmate and desire to be their closest confidant. So, of course, Kíli wanted to get close to Laddyn before the bond became too insistent.

But Laddyn was making things difficult. Very, very difficult. He avoided being within arm’s distance of the dwarven archer, avoided eye contact, and didn’t speak to him beyond short, barely-polite replies to whatever Kíli managed to ask him. Kíli was reasonably certain that the only reason Laddyn hadn’t gone off on his own yet was because they were heading in the same direction and Laddyn was still injured.

That and the one time Laddyn had attempted to sneak off, Bilbo had managed to guilt him into staying. Kíli wanted to kiss the hobbit for that (although he would never do so where his uncle could see, and if he did it would only be a brief peck to his cheek or the top of his curly-haired head).

Dwalin was providing some amusement, at least. At some point in the past few days he had come into contact with someone he had not before, and his soul light was now green beneath his gauntlets. It was only Kíli’s keen archer’s eyes which allowed him to spot the change in colour, so Kíli knew that whoever Dwalin’s soulmate was currently had no idea. Kíli had even noticed the single moment Dwalin realised what had happened. His expression had been comical.

Kíli just hoped the big tattooed dwarf had more luck with his soulmate than he was having with Laddyn.

 

Their arrival at Beorn the Shapeshifter’s home went far differently than the Company – who had listened to Gandalf’s warning about the man disliking visitors – expected. The absolutely huge Man had burst out of his house and instantly wrapped an arm around Laddyn’s neck to pin him against his side and rub large knuckles into the top of the slender youth’s head.

“Get off me, old man!” Laddyn protested, wriggling and attempting to squirm out of Beorn’s hold.

“A year, youngling, with no word!” Beorn bellowed cheerfully. “A year and you walk back here with a gathering of dwarves as if no time has passed?”

“Let me go!” Laddyn snapped, twisting in a way Kíli had thought nearly impossible and extracting himself from Beorn’s grip. His hair was now a wild mess and his cheeks were flushed, and he was very nearly pouting at Beorn. Kíli idly but silently mused that he looked rather attractive like that before shaking his head firmly to get the thought out of his head.

“Such cruelty,” Beorn bemoaned, before spying Gandalf and giving the elderly wizard a boisterous greeting. Kíli didn’t take his eyes off Laddyn until the youth disappeared into Beorn’s huge house.

Maybe now he would have a chance to corner Laddyn and have a proper conversation with him. The incomplete bond was becoming more insistent.

 

Much to Kíli’s frustration and growing impatience, it was even harder to corner Laddyn than it had been while they were travelling. Laddyn knew every nook and cranny of Beorn’s house and grounds, and managed to slip away every time he noticed Kíli attempting to approach him.

Kíli was actually started to become slightly depressed with the young man’s constant avoidance tactics, not that Laddyn would have noticed because he _kept avoiding him_!

Fíli, Thalion, Ori, Bofur and Bilbo noticed, though, and tried to cheer the archer up.

Beorn noticed too.

So it was that Kíli, having slumped upon having Laddyn practically run away from him _yet again_ , found himself being almost knocked to the floor from Beorn’s hand clapping against his back lightly (for the giant man).

“What is wrong, little dwarf?” the large man asked compassionately. Kíli glanced up into kind blue eyes and then glanced down at his clenched left fist. He didn’t speak, but he didn’t need to. Beorn lowered himself to the floor and gently forced Kíli to unclench his fist. The green soul light shone up deceptively merrily from the centre of the archer’s palm. “Ah, I see. And my apprentice is the one to cause this change of colour?” Kíli nodded. Beorn echoed the nod and dropped Kíli’s hand, patting him on the back again. “I shall speak with him. Go join your fellows.”

 

That evening, Kíli was dragged out onto the porch by Fíli and Thalion, both of whom just smiled at him and refused to answer his questions when he asked why they were bringing him outside. The newly bonded pair – their lights were blue after their first night at Beorn’s home – gave Kíli a push hard enough to make him stumble slightly, and when he regained his balance the dark-haired son of Dís found himself face-to-face with his soulmate. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, and Laddyn looked to the side. He was avoiding Kíli yet again, despite being right there in front of him.

“Beorn said you wanted to speak with me,” the young man muttered with a hint of annoyance, and Kíli nodded. “So speak.”

“I just want to learn about you,” Kíli frowned. “Can’t you feel the bond urging you to do the same?” Was the bond one-sided, despite the light on Laddyn’s palm?

When Laddyn didn’t respond, Kíli’s heart sank. He didn’t feel it, then.

“I… I won’t bother you again, then.” Kíli turned to leave, hands gripping tight to the hem of his tunic. It was an anxious habit from his childhood he thought he'd outgrown.

He was halfway back to the door to the house when Laddyn spoke.

“Wait.” Kíli stopped, but didn’t turn around. “I just… I don’t get close to many people. Every time I do…” Kíli turned, taking in Laddyn’s posture and the frustrated look on his face. “I didn’t want to meet my soulmate because…” he paused, clearly fighting with himself about what he was about to say. Kíli took a short step towards him, and Laddyn took a step back. Kíli halted and dropped his half-outstretched arm. “I'm sorry, I truly am, but I… I cannot…” Laddyn turned and jumped over the porch railing, running off into the gathering darkness.

Kíli watched him go, and then lowered his head and walked back into Beorn’s home.

 

Kíli stopped seeking Laddyn out. In fact, circumstances had practically reversed. Kíli went out of his way to avoid Laddyn the rest of the time they stayed in Beorn’s home, unwilling to be near the one who was supposed to be his other half. Fíli, Thalion, Bilbo and Ori helped him in his task, as did Bofur when the toymaker and miner found out Laddyn had all but rejected the young dwarven archer.

Seeing as Ori had actually come to like Laddyn, and vice versa, his change of attitude to the young man seemed to unnerve him a little.

Kíli didn’t count on Beorn forcing Laddyn into accompanying the Company on the rest of their journey.

The rest of the trip to Erebor was going to be torture.

**Author's Note:**

> OHMYGOD I didn't mean for this to become so... so... so SAD! Don't worry, though, things will get better!
> 
> Laddyn belongs to HaloMaiden, although I did tweak him and his original meeting with the Company just a tad. You'll find out his secret in one of the next few oneshots. Hopefully he'll get his head out of his arse somewhere along the way and stop making Kili miserable.
> 
> Gloin is next :)


End file.
